Rear door window regulator



Feb. 6, 1962 E. J. KING ETAL REAR DOOR WINDOW REGULATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 11, 1959 5 "Q1113 737/2102? fc/z? A TTOR/VEY Feb. 6, 1962 E. J. KING ETAL REAR DOOR WINDOW REGULATOR Filed Sept. 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i? BY 811/13 730222027 0/! United States Patent 3,020,040 REAR DOOR WINDOW REGULATGR Edward J. King and Louis Romanzi, Jr., Detroit, Mich, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 839,489 6 Ciaims. (Cl. 268-124) The present invention relates to an improved type rear door window regulator for moving a vehicle window into and out of a window well along a curvilinear path to open and close a window opening.

The advent of pillarless type four door vehicles in which there is no center pillar and no door window frames above the body belt line except for the ventipane window frame at the forward portion of the front door has created difficult problems in the raising and lowering of the rear door windows. The diificulty arises mainly in that the rear window overlaps the center pillar in its up position in order to seal against the front window which requires that the rear window have forward and rearward movement as well as vertical movement in order to be moved into and out of the door well.

Heretofore, mechanisms for controlling this type of window movement have been complicated and hence costly. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to the provision of a relatively simple operating mechanism for moving such a rear window through its curvilinear path in being opened or closed.

In general the present window regulator includes a lift arm and a balance arm articulated to the window and which lift arm is articulated. to a sector gear Which in turn is adapted to supply the raising and lowering movement to the linkage mechanism. The balance arm is articulated between the lift arm and a retainer channel mounted upon the window. The other end of the lift arm is adapted to cam in a cam slot mounted in the back plate. The lift arm is articulated intermediate its ends to the sector gear such that as the gear is rotated the window is first moved rearwardly which is followed by a limited pivoting movement about the rear edge of the window which movement positions the window Within the door window -well after which the entire window may be moved downwardly into the well.

The details as well as other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a perusal of the detailed description which follows.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 shows a vehicle embodying the subject rear window regulator and in which the window is shown in its up position; and

FIGURE 2 is the same as FIGURE 1 save for the window being it its lowered position.

A vehicle is indicated generally at 1! and includes front and rear doors 12 and 14. The front door window 16 is controlled by a conventional window regulator mechanism adapted to provide a linear up and down movement of the window.

Rear window 18 is adapted to slightly overlap the center door pillar 2.0 so as to sealingly engage with the rear edge of front window 16.

Accordingly, in order to lower rear window 18 it is first necessary to move the rear window rearwardly to clear center pillar 20 and position the Window for descent into its well 22. A window regulator indicated generally at 24 is provided to impart the requisite curvilinear movement to rear window 18 in order to lower and raise the same. Window 18 includes a frame having a channel member 26 disposed at the lower end thereof. Channel 26 includes a first bracket 28 to which one end of a lift arm 30 is articulated through a pin 32. A back plate member 34 is disposed within and suitably connected to the inner door panel and includes a cam slot 36 formed therein. The other end of lift arm 30 includes a follower pin 38 adapted to be disposed within cam slot 36. A sector gear 40 is pivotally supported on back plate 34 and is adapted to be driven by a suitable gear member '42 which in turn is driven through a motor member 44 and controlled from the vehicle passenger compartments in any well known manner. A pin 45 articulates lever 30 intermediate its ends to sector 40. Sector gear 40 is fixed to a shaft 46 pivotally mounted on back plate 34.

A counterbalance coil spring 48 is fixed at one end to shaft 46 and anchored at its other end to a tab member 50 on the back plate. Thus as sector gear 40 is rotated in a clockwise direction to lower window 18, coil spring 48 is wound so as to assist in raising the window when the sector is rotated in the opposite direction.

A retainer channel 52 is supported between brackets 54 and 56 formed on window channel 26. Channel 52 includes a rearwardly and downwardly inclined slot 58 adapted to slidingly receive a follower pin 60. fixed to one end of balance arm 62. The other end of balance arm 62 is articulated to lift arm 30 through a pin connection 64.

One end of a U-shaped lever 66 is also articulated through pin 64 to lift arm 30. The other end of lever 66 includes an extension having a slot 68 which coacts with sector shaft 46.

To lower window 18 from the position shown in FIG- URE l to its lower position as shown in FIGURE 2, the operation of the subject device is as follows: motor 44 is energized to impart a clockwise rotation to gear sector 40. The clockwise movement of the gear sector is transmitted through pin 64 to arm 30 causing arm follower 38 to move to the right within back plate cam slot 36 which, due to the slight upward curvature in the left por tion of the slot coupled with the effect of U -shaped lever 66 urging arm 30 to the right, causes an initial rearward movement of window 18 to break the sealing relationship between the forward edge of the rear window and the rear edge of the front window. At this point balance arm 62 merely pivots counterclockwise about its follower 62.

It is to be noted that back plate cam slot 36 extends in a generally horizontal direction from the periphery of sector gear 40 and is also generally radially disposed relative the rotative axis of the gear. It is this relationship which insures that window 18 will initially move rearwardly relative to door 14 before it descends into well 22.

After the initial .translatory movement of window 18 rearwardly, continued rotation of sector gear '40 causes lift arm 30 to be pivoted in a counterclockwise direction about its follower pin 38 causing the front end of window 18 to pivot downwardly about balancearm follower pin 69. During this initial movement balance arm follower pin 60 is moving rearwardly within retainer channel slot 58 as well as pivoting in a counterclockwise direction To. provide proper guidance in lowering the rear edge of window 18, it is necessary for lever 66 to be laterallydisplaced relative to shaft 46 to prevent regulator 24 from locking up before the window is fully lowered, hence the provision of slot 68 which provides lost motion between the lever and shaft. The translation of lever 66 to shaft 46 is seen in comparing the relative positions of slot and shaft in FIGURES 1 and 2.

We claim:

1. A door window regulator of the type adapted to move a window between raised and lowered positions along a curvilinear path relative to a well fern ed within the door, a window regulator mechanism disposed within said well and comprising a back plate fixed to said door, a sector gear, a shaft for rotatably mounting the gear on the back plate, means for rotating said sector gear, a cam slot formed in said back plate, a lift arm articulated at one end to the window proximate the latters forward edge, a follower member formed on the other end of the lift arm and disposed within the back plate cam slot, said lift arm being articulated intermediate its ends to the sector gear, a slotted channel member mounted on said window proximate the rear edge thereof, a balance arm articulated at one end to the lift arm, the other end of the balance arm being slidably disposed Within the channel member, and an intermediate lever having one end commonly articulated with said balance arm to the lift arm, the other end of said intermediate lever being connected through a lost motion connection to the sector shaft, the intermediate lever being adapted to urge the lift arm follower along the back plate cam slot during the initial lowering movement of the window whereby said window is translated rearwardly relative to said door prior to being lowered with the well.

2. A door window regulator as set forth in claim 1 in which the back plate cam slot extends in a generally horizontal direction from the periphery of the sector gear.

3. A door Window regulator as set forth in claim 1 in which the lost motion connection comprises an extension on the intermediate lever, a slot formed in said extension, said sector shaft being disposed in said slot and permitting the lever to move relative to the shaft as the lift arm follower moves within the back plate cam slot.

4. A door window regulator as set forth in claim 1 in which the balance arm and intermediate lever are commonly connected to the lift arm intermediate the latters connection to the sector gear and the lift arm follower.

5. A door window regulator of the type adapted to move a window between raised and lowered positions along a curvilinear path relative to a well formed within the door, a window regulator mechanism disposed within said well and comprising a back plate fixed to said door, a sector gear, a shaft for rotatably mounting the gear on the back plate, a motor driven gear for rotating said sector gear, a cam slot formed in said back plate, said slot extending in a generally radially horizontal direction from the rotative axis of the sector gear, a lift arm articulated at one end to the window proximate the latters forward edge, a follower member formed on the other end of the lift arm and disposed within the back plate cam slot, said lift arm being articulated intermediate its ends to the sector gear, a slotted channel member mounted on said window proximate the rear thereof, a balance arm articulated at one end to the lift arm, the other end of the balance arm being slidably disposed within the retainer channel, and an intermediate lever having one end commonly articulated with said balance arm to the lift arm, a slot formed in the other end of said intermediate lever, said sector shaft extending through said latter slot to permit the intermediate lever to move relative to the sector gear, the intermediate lever being adapted to urge the lift arm follower along the back plate cam slot away from the sector gear during the initial lowering movement of the window whereby said window is translated rearwardly relative to said door prior to lowering said window.

6. A door window regulator as set forth in claim 5 in which the lift and balance arms are articulated to the window along the bottom edge thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

